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Abstract:

An electrical receptacle connector includes a terminal module assembly
and a grounding collar thereon. The terminal module assembly includes the
front mating tongue, the rear body, and the step structure therebetween,
and the corresponding contacts. The contacts are secured to the body with
contacting sections exposed upon the mating tongue. The grounding collar
includes the grounding regions located on two opposite upper and lower
surfaces of the step structure. The front edge area of the grounding
region adjacent to the front edge area, forms a notch so as to leave a
space to allow the spring finger of the corresponding interior grounding
plate of the plug connector to first slide upon the step structure and
successively contact the grounding region of the grounding collar of the
receptacle connector.

Claims:

1. A receptacle connector comprising: a terminal module assembly enclosed
within a metallic shield, said terminal module assembly including a front
tongue plate extending, in a front-to-back direction, forwardly from a
rear body, and contacting sections of upper and lower contacts being
exposed upon two opposite upper and lower surfaces of the tongue plate in
a vertical direction perpendicular to said front-to-back direction, and a
step structure being formed at a rear root portion of the tongue plate,
and a metallic grounding collar applied upon at least two opposite upper
and lower faces of said step structure in the vertical direction, a front
edge of said grounding collar being flush with a front edge of the step
structure; wherein a plurality of notches are formed in a front edge
region of said grounding collar so as to be offset from the front edge of
the step structure.

2. The receptacle connector as claimed in claim 1, wherein an inner edge
of the notch forms a forward slant leading face.

3. The receptacle connector as claimed in claim 1, wherein the front edge
of the step structure is formed with a forward tapered leading face.

4. The receptacle connector as claimed in claim 1, further including a
shield plate extending in a horizontal plane defined by the front-to-back
direction and a transverse direction perpendicular to both said
front-to-back direction and said vertical direction, and embedded within
the tongue plate in the vertical direction.

5. The receptacle connector as claimed in claim 4, wherein said terminal
module assembly includes an upper terminal module with the upper contacts
insert-molded therein, and a lower terminal module with the lower
contacts insert-molded therein, to commonly sandwich the tongue plate
therebetween in the vertical direction.

6. An electrical connector assembly comprising: a receptacle connector
and a plug connector adapted to be mated with each other, said receptacle
connector including: a terminal module assembly including an insulative
front tongue plate defining opposite upper and lower surfaces in the
vertical direction, an insulative rear body located behind the tongue
plate in a front-to-back direction perpendicular to said vertical
direction, and dimensioned larger than the tongue plate in both the
vertical direction and a transverse direction perpendicular to both said
front-to-back direction and said vertical direction, and a middle step
structure located in a boundary between the tongue plate and the body and
dimensioned with a size between said tongue plate and the body in both
said vertical direction and said body; and a metallic grounding collar
applied upon at least two opposite upper and lower faces of the step
structure; said plug connector including a metallic spring plate having
at least a spring finger deflectable in a vertical direction; said
grounding collar defining a grounding region defining a specific area
corresponding to the spring finger during mating; wherein a confrontation
edge of the grounding collar is rearwardly offset from a front edge of
the step structure at said specific area in order to leave space for
allowing the corresponding spring finger to slide on the step structure
in the front-to-back direction with a distance before slide upon the
grounding region, during mating.

7. The electrical connector assembly as claimed in claim 6, wherein said
specific area is located in a notch in a front edge region of the
grounding collar.

8. The electrical connector assembly as claimed in claim 6, wherein the
confrontation edge is formed with a forward tapered leading face.

9. The electrical connector assembly as claimed in claim 6, wherein the
front edge of the step structure is formed with a forwardly wedged
leading face.

10. A method of coupling a receptacle connector and plug connector,
comprising steps of: providing the receptacle connector with a metallic
shield enclosing a terminal module assembly, said terminal module
assembly, said terminal module assembly including a front tongue plate
extending, in a front-to-back direction, forwardly from a rear body, and
contacting sections of upper and lower contacts being exposed upon two
opposite upper and lower surfaces of the tongue plate in a vertical
direction perpendicular to said front-to-back direction, and a step
structure being formed at a rear root portion of the tongue plate, and a
metallic grounding collar applied upon at least two opposite upper and
lower faces of said step structure in the vertical direction, providing
the plug connector with a metallic grounding plate with at least one
spring finger; wherein during mating, the spring finger firstly slides on
the step structure in the front-to-back direction with a distance and
successively slides on the grounding collar to complete an internal
grounding path.

11. The method as claimed in claim 10, wherein the grounding collar
defines a confrontation edge in alignment with the spring finger in the
front-to-back direction, and the spring finger firstly confronts a front
edge of the step structure and successively confronts said confrontations
edge in said front-to-back direction.

12. The method as claimed in claim 11, wherein the grounding collar forms
a notch in a front edge region, and the confrontation edge is an inner
edge in said notch.

13. The method as claimed in claim 12, wherein the confrontation edge
forms a forward slant leading face.

14. The method as claimed in claim 13, wherein the front edge of the step
structure forms a forward slant leading face.

Description:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention

[0002] The present invention relates generally to an electrical connector,
more particularly to the connector with an improved internal grounding
collar.

[0003] 2. Description of Related Arts

[0004] USB (Universal Serial Bus) committee announced the Type C connector
specification on Aug. 11, 2014 wherein the Type C plug connector may be
mated with the corresponding Type C receptacle connector in a flippable
manner without the specific orientation

[0005] One feature of the Type C connector assembly is to provide the
internal grounding collar around the root of the mating tongue of the
receptacle connector and the interior grounding spring fingers in the
receiving cavity of the plug connector so as to form an internal
grounding path during mating. Anyhow, in some conditions if the
manufacturing tolerance is out of control, the spring fingers may not be
properly slide upon the grounding collar but being crashed during mating.

[0006] An improved wire spacer in a cable connector assembly is desired.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0007] An object of the present invention is to provide an improved
structure of the internal grounding collar of the receptacle connector so
as to make sure of no crash thereof during mating with the plug
connector.

[0008] To achieve the above-mentioned object, an electrical receptacle
connector includes a terminal module assembly and a grounding collar
thereon. The terminal module assembly includes the front mating tongue,
the rear body, and the step structure therebetween, and the corresponding
contacts. The contacts are secured to the body with contacting sections
exposed upon the mating tongue. The grounding collar includes the
grounding regions located on two opposite upper and lower surfaces of the
step structure. The front edge area of the grounding region adjacent to
the front edge area, forms a notch so as to leave a space to allow the
spring finger of the corresponding interior grounding plate of the plug
connector to first slide upon the step structure and successively contact
the grounding region of the grounding collar of the receptacle connector.
Compared with the traditional design, the notch may prevent the grounding
region from improperly colliding against the spring finger of the plug
connector due to any out-of-range manufacturing tolerance of either the
receptacle connector and the plug connector.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

[0009] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a receptacle connector in
accordance with the present invention;

[0010] FIG. 2 is another perspective view of the receptacle connector in
FIG. 1;

[0011] FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the terminal module
assembly and the grounding collar of the receptacle connector of FIG. 1;

[0012] FIG. 4 is another exploded perspective view of the terminal module
assembly and the grounding collar of the receptacle connector of FIG. 1;

[0013] FIG. 5 is a partially exploded perspective view of the tongue plate
and the grounding collar of the receptacle connector of FIG. 1;

[0014] FIG. 6 is a partially exploded perspective view of the tongue plate
and grounding collar, and the lower terminal module of the receptacle
connector of FIG. 1;

[0015] FIG. 7 is a partially exploded perspective view of the tongue
plate, the grounding collar, the lower terminal module and the upper
terminal module of the receptacle connector of FIG. 1;

[0016] FIG. 8 is a partially exploded perspective view of the terminal
module assembly, the shield and the bracket of the receptacle connector
of FIG. 1;

[0017] FIG. 9 is another partially exploded perspective view of the
terminal module assembly, the shield and the bracket of the receptacle
connector of FIG. 1;

[0018] FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of the receptacle connector of
FIG. 1;

[0019] FIG. 11 is an illustrative view to show the spring finger of the
interior grounding part of the mated plug connector and the receptacle
connector of FIG. 1 in an initial mating stage;

[0020] FIG. 12 is an other illustrative view to show the spring finger of
the interior grounding part of the mated plug connector and the
receptacle connector of FIG. 1 in a further inserted stage;

[0021] FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view of the receptacle connector and
the interior grounding part of the mated plug connector of FIG. 12; and

[0022] FIG. 14 is a partial enlarged cross-sectional view of the
receptacle connector and the interior grounding part of the mated plug
connector of FIG. 13.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

[0023] Referring to FIGS. 1 to 2, an electrical receptacle connector 100
for mating with the plug connector (not completely shown while referring
to FIGS. 36-39 of US2015/0171573 published Jun. 18, 2015) in a flippable
manner. The receptacle connector 100 includes a metallic shield 10
forming a mating cavity 101 forwarding communicating with an exterior,
and a tongue plate 30 extending in the mating cavity 101. In a front
view, the cross-section of the mating cavity 101 likes an ellipse which
is symmetrical in both the vertical direction and the transverse
direction so as to allow the plug connector to be inserted thereinto in a
flippable way. A metallic bracket 20 is attached upon the shield 10.

[0025] The shielding plate 31 is insert-molded within the tongue plate 30
which includes the insulator 32, and the front edge region 311 of the
shielding plate 31 is embedded within the insulator 32 while the rear
region 312 is exposed outside of the insulator 32. The front edge and two
side edges of the front edge region 311 are exposed outside of the front
edge and the side edge of the insulator 32, and the side edges of the
insulator 32 forms notches 320 in which the side edge of the shielding
plate 31 is exposed. Therefore, the shielding plate 31 functions not only
to shield but also to retain with the plug connector. On the other hand,
the exposed portions of the shielding plate 31 also provides strength
thereof for protection during mating. The insulator 32 forms passageways
321 in two opposite surfaces and the shielding plate 31 is located
between the corresponding passageways in the vertical direction. The
insulator 32 forms a plurality of holes 322 behind the passageways 321
for use with insert-molding the shielding plate 31 in the insulator 32.
The stoppers 323 are formed on two lateral sides of the insulator 32.

[0026] The grounding collar 4 includes a pair of horizontally extending
grounding regions 41 and a pair of connection plates 42 extending from a
rear edge of the grounding region 41. A pair of vertical walls 410 are
connected between the pair of grounding regions 41 to form a frame
structure. The connection plate 42 forms a plurality of spring tangs 43
arranged in one row along a transverse direction while each spring tang
43 extends in a front-to-back (A) direction. The grounding region 41
includes an upper grounding region 411 and a lower grounding region 412.
The grounding collar 40 surrounds the root of the tongue plate 30 and
abuts against the stoppers 323. The grounding collar 40 and the tongue
plate 30 forms a gap 39 in the vertical direction. With regard to the
stoppers 323, the tongue plate 30 includes a front portion 33 and a rear
portion 34. Notably, the width of front portion 33 is larger than that of
the rear portion 34 in a transverse (B) direction. The grounding collar
40 surrounds the rear portion 34, and the vertical walls 410 abut against
two lateral sides of the rear portion 34 and forwardly abuts against rear
sides of the corresponding stoppers 323. The upper grounding region 411
and the lower grounding region 412 are spaced from the tongue plate 30
with the gap 39, and the connection plate 42 are respectively located by
two sides of the rear region 312 of the shielding plate 31.

[0027] The lower terminal module 50 includes a body portion 51, a step
portion 52 in front of the body portion 51 and the lower contacts 53. The
step portion 52 includes a leading face 521. The lower contact 53
includes the contacting section 531 extending beyond the step portion 52,
and a leg 532 extending downwardly outside of the rear side of the body
portion 51. The lower contact 53 further includes a middle portion (not
labeled) embedded within the body portion 51 and the step portion 52. The
lower terminal module 50 extends through the gap 39 and secured to the
underside of the tongue plate 30. The contacting section 531 of the lower
contact 53 is received within the corresponding passageway 321. The
spacer 70 is assembled upwardly under the lower terminal module 50 for
aligning the legs 532 of the lower contacts 53. The spacer 70 includes a
pair of locking feet 71 each with a hook 711 for engagement within a slit
5112 formed in an undersurface of the body portion 51.

[0028] The upper terminal module 60, similar to the lower terminal module
50, includes a body portion 61, a step portion 62 in front of the body
portion 61, and the contacts 63. The step portion 62 includes a lead face
621. The upper contact 63 includes a contacting section 63 extend beyond
the step portion 62 and a leg 632 extending rearward outside of the body
portion 61. The upper contact 63 further includes a middle portion (not
labeled) embedded within the body portion 61 and the step portion 62. The
upper terminal module 60 forwardly extends through the (upper) gap 39
formed between the grounding collar 40 and the tongue plate 30. The
contacting section 631 of the upper contact 63 is received in the
corresponding passageway 321.

[0029] The rear portion 34 of the tongue plate 30 forms the blocks 341
neighboring the front portion 33 and extending in the vertical direction.
The step portion 52 of the lower terminal module 50 forms cutouts 521 to
receive the corresponding blocks 341 for preventing excessive forward
movement of the lower terminal module 50 with regard to the tongue plate
30. Similarly, the upper terminal module 60 has the similar blocks 621
for the same purpose. The lower terminal module 50 and the upper terminal
module 60 form the ribs 513 and the grooves 613 to engage with each other
so as to assure the correct positions between the lower terminal module
50 and the upper terminal module 60 when the upper terminal module 60 is
forwardly inserted into the (upper) gap 39 of the sub-assembly of the
tongue plate 30, the lower terminal module 50 and the grounding collar
40.

[0030] The upper terminal module 60 and the lower terminal module 50, the
tongue plate 30 and the spacer 70 commonly define the terminal module
assembly 103 wherein the step portions 62 and 52 are enclosed within the
grounding collar 40. In brief, the terminal module assembly 103 includes
the aforementioned front portion 33, and the rear body (including the
body portions 51, 61), the middle step (including the step portions 62,
52) and the contacts (including the upper contacts 63 and the lower
contacts 53). The shield 10 is fixed to the rear body to enclose the
front portion 33 and the middle step to form the mating cavity 101. The
grounding collar 40 includes the grounding regions 41 located upon the
middle step, the front edges of the grounding regions being closer to the
front edge of the middle step. Each grounding region 41 forms notches in
a front edge to leave a space so as to allow the spring fingers of the
grounding plate of the plug connector to slide on the rear step first
before contacting the grounding region 41. The two connection plates 42
seated upon the rear body with the spring tangs 43 abutting pressing the
shield 10. The connection plates 42 are received in the corresponding
recessed areas 611, 511 of the body portion 61, 51. The shielding plate
31 is essentially sandwiched between the body portions 61, 51.

[0031] The shield 10 is mounted upon the terminal module assembly 103. The
shield 10 is fixed to the body portions 61, 51 and surrounds the tongue
plate 30 and the grounding collar 40 so as to form the mating cavity 101
therebetween. The shield 10 forms the spring leaves 12, the ribs 13 and
the mounting legs 11. Notably, the spring tangs 43 may be replaced with
the properly formed protrusions. The grounding region 41 is formed in a
riveted way with a dovetailed structure.

[0032] The bracket 20 is soldered to the shield 10 and covers the top
side, two lateral sides and the rear side of the shield 10 with the
solder points 23 for securing. The bracket 20 forms recessions 24 to
compensate movement of the spring leaves 12, and mounting legs 21.

[0033] During mating, the grounding plate 80 is inserted into the mating
cavity 101 with spring fingers 801. In this embodiment, there are three
on each side. Notably, the front edge of the grounding region 41 is
essentially flush with the front edge of the middle step except at the
three notches 413 which corresponds to the three spring fingers 801. A
leading face 414 is formed on the notch 413. During mating, the spring
finger 801 firstly contacts the step portion 62, 52 in the corresponding
notch 413, and is successively raised up by the leading face 621, 521 so
as to slide upon the step portion 62, 52 and further confronts the
leading face 414 in the notch 413 and finally slide on the grounding
region 41 to completely achieve the internal grounding path.

[0034] In brief, understandably, the front edge of the grounding region
should be flush with the front edge of the step portions 62, 52 for
assuring preferable shielding effect. Anyhow, such a flush arrangement
may result in some collision the corresponding spring fingers of the plug
connector during mating. In other words, without the notch 413, the
spring finger 801 may improperly confront the front edge of the grounding
region at an relatively inner position in the vertical direction so as to
have a potential collision risk if the manufacturing tolerance is out of
range. The provision of the notch 413 of the invention may forgive such
condition advantageously while still maintaining the superior shielding
effect by having the remaining portions of the grounding region flush
with the step portion in the front edge.